Building element



Jne 23, 1936-` N. P. HARSHBERGER ET AL. 2,044,787

BUILDING ELEMENT Fiied June 12, 1933 l r A f n Gl L WMV@ INVENTO RK NormanPHam'lz ATTORNEY Patented June 23, 1936 UNITED STATES `PA'IizlSJrOFFICE:

BUILDING ELEMENT Norman P. Harshberger, Scarsdale, and Sidney A. Ochs, New York, N. Y., assignors to Bakelite Building Products Co. Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 12, 1933, Serial No. 675,455

coated building and siding elements shaped to yduring warm weather, that on the roof, in spiteof Y numerous locking means employed, certain portions of these shingles are unsecured and that they readily lift in the wind. It is also'known that 20 the bituminous coating of the shingle, under' the action of solar heat and the elements, rapidly loses its volatile constituents with resulting contraction of the coating and subsequent curling of the exposed edges of the shingles. Thereafter, rain may easily drive in under the shingle weather edges.

Further, in the past it has been customary to start or iinish the corner edging of a building with a metal edging strip or flashing, or`where 30 it was desired touse flexible material similar to Ithat used for the building proper, shortat strips were, usually bent to the required shape on the job, a process simple enough-in warm weather -but open to cracking dangers in cold weather unless heat was applied at the line of fold, or in some cases the short strips have been'preshaped at the factory. The rst use was costly and unattractive, the second method was tedious, required considerable extra time to apply, produced unsymmetrical results and could not be handled in long lengths. The thirdmethod theoretically was sounder but the formed pieces had a tendency, depending upon theirv elastic properties, to return to their fiatY shapes, this especially in warm weather and of a group of shaped pieces it is doubted Whether any two would have the same shape after bending.

l It is therefore the general objectv of this invention to provide shingle elements with a hydraulic cement coating in which the high compressive strength of the cement may be put topractical advantage to provide pressure edge contact inass'embly and thereby increase the initial resistance of the shingle to curling or windingr up and furtherto provide shaped shingle thickness elements formed during manufacture and having hardened cementitious coatings providing compression sections resisting any return to the shape of the developed blank and being quite pliable in a direction as to place the cement coating under 5 which when laid initially upon a surface will have only edge contact and in which the cementitious coating is placed in compression when the ele-` ment is flattened out in mounting and in which the forces of said compression are transmitted as a pressure to the exposed edges of the shingles to cause a sealing action to take place.

A pliable shingle element having a low convex longitudinal midsection and a hardened cementitious coating on the outer side of said section re' sstng the stresses of deformation to maintain said shape.

A pliable shingle element having longitudinal and transverse surface formations of convex curvilinear shape, and a hardened cementitious coat ing preserving said surface formation.

A shingle element having a cementitious coating which is stressed in applying to a roof deck.

A building element comprising a shaped Ibase having a transitory stiifening coating on one of its faces and having upon its other face a hardened cement coating to permanently maintain said shape.

A process of forming shaped elements by which a plurality of pliable shingle elements are coated with' a hydraulic cement, placed in a suitable form, pressure applied before the coating has set .to give said shingles a shaped formation and thereafter maintaining said formation until the' coating on said shingle elements has hardened and curved. f I

An .edging element of substantial length for buildings comprising a flexible vmineral coated base shaped to flt two intersecting sides of a building andmhaving a hardened hydraulic cement coating preserving said shape.

These and other objects and features of the invention, relating to the improved roofing material and all its parts andA combinations will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out in the subsequent detailed description and in the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. l shows a section of an element having a surface coating possessing the texture of its mineral bond and showing an arch-like formation, the ends of which rest upon an imaginary plane;

Fig. 2 shows a plurality of the elements of Fig. 1 with separators between elements in stack formation while their coatings harden and cure; the shape of said elements being maintained during the period of curing by formed pressure platens;

Fig. 3 shows another shaped element having a surface coating of cement on its outer face wholly above the mineral bond and having a transitory stiifening coating on its under face;

Fig. 4 is a cross section through 4--4 of Fig. 5 of an angular shaped element used for building edges and having a partial texture surface;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the element of position sheet or web is preferably utilized. For

this we employ a suitable flexible base 2, for instance, a base made from vegetable fibres, Wool, asbestos, or hair, alone, in combination or with other materials, which base is treated to resist water and decay by saturating with a suitable substance, for instance, a low melting point asphalt and thereafterx has applied to one or both of its faces an additional adhesive layer 4, for instance, a high melting point bituminous material such as asphalt or one of a resinous type.

To this coating before it has set, is applied and partially embedded asuitable material 6to form a roughened surface and this may be mineral particles, foxinstance, crushed brick, gravel,

crushed slag, pebbles, crushed slate, coke, crushed glass or granulated petrified materials. It is desirable in order to aid in the lpreventionl of blistering in the finished article after it has been applied on a roof, to have the felt thoroughly dry before saturating and to have any moisture removed from the lmineral particles before they are applied to the bituminous or resinous coating.

The mineral particles we have found preferable for use in this invention in order to present a surface structurally adapted for the application of our cement coating have been those of a high porosity, possessive of considerable inherent physical strength, and'particularly those of a type whose chemical constituency make lthem l capable of combining with 'the cementitious substance to form av unified mass, asfor instance, mineral particles formed from certain slags.

'I'he slagswhich we prefer to use have a composition similar to cement and react with water in a ksimilar manner to cement, that is, the alumina and silica minerals of the slag react with water to form hydrated aluminates and silicates. Further when the cement coating is applied, this type of slag reacts more ,vigorouslywith water in the presence of. the free lime which may be liberated from the cement than it will with other materials. We prefer to use slags having ingrcdients, aluminum oxide. silicon oxide, and iron oxide of less than sixty per cent (better less than fifty per cent) by weight of their composition and preferably not less than twenty per cent; and/or slags preferably between thirty and seventy per cent in their calcium oxide and magnesium oxide content and/or slags having an aluminum oxide to silicon oxide ratio of no less than one third by wight.

The mineral particles because of their toothlike projections of irregular contour and their irregular cavities, obtain an excellent grip on the base when they are applied to the adhesive layer and in turn hold the cement coating B firmly in place. In both instances the cement and adhesive materials are of a character that will enter the vpores of the mineral particles.

The cementitious material we use may be any plaster, lime or magnesia or it may be a hydraulic cement, for instance, a high alumina cement or Ciments Fondu, as Lumnite, ordinary Portland cement as Lehigh, Medusa, high early strength Portland cement as Incor, magnesium cements as magnesium oxychloride, white cements as White Portland, Medusa or Ferrocrete or slag cements. Further special cements as Keen cement or ore cement (Erz Zement) may also be used. It is preferred however to use a hydraulic cement. Such material may be applied forcibly or otherwise over. the mineral coated web as a coating in any suitable manner, as for instance, by spraying, by calender rolls, by printing rolls or by dipping. The coating may be a natural colored cement, colored cement, a cement mixed with colored pigments or it may be any of. these alone, together or mixed as an aggregate with other materials. for instance, clay, diatomaceous earth, marble dust, hair, or asbestos fibres. Also, it may be desired to use a waterproof cement or a cement with a resinous addition, for instance, a resinous varnish or emulsion in suitable proportions to waterproof it.

In any instance the coating 8 when applied will fill the spaces between the mineral particles and the irregular crevices where a porous particle is used, so that when it sets a product is Thereafter before the cementitious coating has fully set and while the coating is yet in a flowable or plastic state, the web is cut into shingle sizes III of a desired shape and stacked between suitably curved forms I2. Pressure is applied to the stacked elements to give them the arched effect, for instance, that of the shingle section in Fig. 1 and they are thus held until the coating has set and hardened. A group of such elements are shown in Fig. 2 where the elements are held between heavy shaped iron platens I2. 'Ihere may also be flexible or rigid separators I4 between the individual elements. The separators may be -paper or thin metal sheets to prevent the ele- If desired the web may be cut into indimeans, for instance, the mineral coated base may 75 ybe heated, formed to the desired shape and then chilled to have it retain its shape long enough to have the cementitious coating applied and become set. Also, as shown by the element of Fig. 3 a suitable transitory stiffening substance I6 such as a starch, may be applied before or after cutting to the back of the web which also may be roughened or possess a mineral coating, and the elements then p'assed between heated forming waxy addition may be included in the original saturant or a waxy material in an emulsified state or otherwise may be applied to the back ofthe elements during their processing as a web. This step may be avoided by theaddition to the cement coating of a suitable material,l for instance, a synthetic resin or a resinous varnish as Bakelite or Vinylite or Glyptals that will rise to the surface of the cementitious coating beforeit has set, or mineral particles may be utilized that will project above the coating and/or additional particles such as mica or talc may be applied to the front or back of the web. Also, if desired, flexible separators having a waxy or other nonadherent surface may be employed.

Once the ,cement has set and hardened, the coating will resist any attempt .of the base on its own volition to return 'to its at position. This is accomplished by taking advantage of the high crushing strength of cement and by placing the cement at the correct position so that it will be placed under compression by the reactive stresses of deformation set up in the shaping of the element. This feature of. the invention has been particularly utilized -in the disclosures of Figs. 4, 5, and 6. Figs. 4 and 5 represent a corner element for siding which is to be; used with other fiat elements to form an offset brick-like effect- Such a form will save considerable time for the roofer as he has no bending to do and can make a uniformcorner brick formation without planning at every corner edge of a building. It is to be noted that while the figure shows both legs 4of the corner piece of 'substantially the same pearance of the covered surface. It will be obvious that many diiferentforms and shapes may be made by applying this feature ,of the invention.

-While the elements of Figs. 1, `3, and 7 may be formed as previously described, their particular formation constitutes another principle and feature of the invention. It has already been stated that ordinary asphalt shingles are flabby aridI easily lift in the wind, and also it has been pointed vout that when a cementitiouscoating has been applied, the element will offer considerable resistance to forces acting to place the coating in compression; In covering a roof surface with elements of the type shown in Fig. 1 if the thickness of coating, and amount of arching I8 have been properly selected, the element may, without detrimental effect, be forced into a substantially flat position by applying pressure through the mediumv of nails I9 or other fastening means preferably at the peak of the arch which need not l be at the center of the shingle but can be toward an edge so that more than half of the shingle may be exposed and yet have the fastening means well covered by an overlying shingle. Fig. ,8 shows a side elevation of a group of such lelements wherein 20 represents a shingle element as it appears inposition before being flattened. In the flattening operation the peak section of each element as indicated by the line 9--9 of Fig. 1 is placed in compression and the acting forces will be divided and transmitted to the edges 22 and 24 where equal and opposite reactions will occur and the element will tightly hug and seal these edges of contact. By thus stressing the elements in application a tighter roof will result and their Weather edges will have a greater resistance to -winding up by the amount of the pressure created.

In fact it will be diflicult to pry the butt edge of an element away from thesurface with which it is in contact.

In Fig. '7 the feature has been extended.` In this instance the element is so shaped that both its longitudinal and transverse sections are placed in compression in assembly. This is accomplished by having both the longitudinal and transverse surface shape follow a curvilinear formation creating the curves 26. This is particularly advan- Y tageous since if the roof has an uneven surface any tendency of placing the cement coating along any of its sections in tension will be avoided.

From the above description it can readily be seen that we have provided the roofe'r with elements that will simplify his assembly problems, and produce attractive roofing .surfaces having greater resistance tothe weather. The terms roofing and similar expressions as used throughout the specification and claims are employed in a generic sense and are also intended to cover such other applications as for Walls, siding and the like. The details that have been given are for the purpose of illustration, not restriction. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that many changes may be made in the articles described as particularly relates to the materials employed and structures formed and in the processes Y-relating thereto ,without departing from the spirit of our invention which is to be construed as broadly as the following claims taken in conjunction with the prior art, may allow.

We claim:

1. In a roofing surface, a plurality of spring type shingle elements comprising a flexible base and an outer layer of high compressive strength.

, through said outer layer to their exposed weather edge to aid in sealing said edge from the weather.

2. A surface covering comprising a plurality of substantially flat stressed elements laid so as to provide spring pressure Contact at their exposed edges, said elements comprising before applica- `tion a spring shaped clement comprising a flexible base and a hardened hydraulic cement coating, said coating being on the outer side of the v spring shape. f I

3. A roof comprising elements laid in courses and adapted when laid to provide areas of pressure at their lower exposed edges to form a substantial weather seal, said elements comprising ing and said elements being flattened and held` to the roof deck by their fastening means with the cementitious portion adjacent the outer face of the bow transmitting the forces of attening to said exposed edges.

4. A roof comprising a plurality of pliable elements having bow like sections and having their greatest pliability in a direction to increase the degree of bow and having a cementitious portion adjacent the outer face of the bow to normally resist a flattening thereof, said elements having securing means operating against said bow to flatten said elements andto transmit pressure through said cementitious portion to their weather edges to form a substantial weather seal.

5. In a roofing surface, a plurality of elements secured to said surface and having pressure contact along their exposed edges, said elements comprising bases having longitudinal and transverse substantially bow-like sections and having a cementitious portion adjacent the outer face of the bow sections, and said pressure contact being transmitted to said edges by said cementitious portion in flattening and securing said elements in position.

6. In a roofing surface, a plurality of shingle elements having bow-like sections, each comprising a flexible base and an outer hardened cernentitious layer anchored to said base on the outer side of said bow, said elements being arranged in substantially flattened position with their cementitious layers in compression so as to transmit pressure to the shingle weather edges to force said edges against their support.

7. A pair of intersecting building walls comprising a corner'edging piece and a plurality of shingle elements secured thereto, said edging piece comprising a stripof flexible material having a bow section, and having flat extensions, extending from its bow edges parallel to said side walls, and

vsaid bow portion having a hardened hydraulic cement coating anchored to mineral particles on its outer surface to form a hard surfacing, and to provide a compression section to resist any tendency of said bowed strip to alter its shape in application and said elements being secured to and overlapping the extensions of said edging strip.

8. An edging strip for intersecting building walls comprising a sprung flexible base having a ofthe faces forming a. portion of lesser thickness for lapping with similar elements in assembly.

10. A pliable shingle element comprisingl a base and a hardened cement coating, said element being bowed, and having the coating on the outer face, the base characterized by a tendency to assume a shape other than the bowed shape and the hardened cement coating retaining the base in the bowed shape.

11. A pliable shingle element comprising a base and a hardened cement coating, said element be- ,ing bowed and having the coating on the outer face, the base characterized by a tendency to assume a shape other than the bowed shape, and the hardened cement coating resisting a flatten- 5 ing of the bow.

12. In a spring type element for surface covering, a single thickness unit comprising cement and fibre, having substantially a bow shape and having a cementitious section sufficiently thick to normally maintain the bow shape and including a face forming the outer face of the bow, said element characterized by the ability to assume a flattened bow shape when applied to a surface, and the cementitious material adjacent the outer face of the bow forming a substantially continuous compression portion of the element resisting a flattening of the bow.

13. In a spring type element for surface covering, a single thickness unit comprising cement and fibre, said unit having a bowed shape and having a hardened cementitious section with a face forming the outer face of the bow sumciently strong to normally maintain the bowed shape, said element characterized by the ability to assume a flattened bow shape when laid and there being a shape resistingA portion of said cementitious section adapted to transmit a pressure to the surface contacting edges of the element when the element is laid with a flattening of the bow in assembly.

14. A fibre-cement building element comprising a sheet-like unit having a normal low concave-convex shape and having a hardened cementitious portion in the convex side thereof o f sufficient strength to normally hold said shape, said element characterized by the ability to assume a shape other than its normal shape and said cementitious portion being of sufficient thickness as to permit stressing of the element and transmittal of the forces of said stressing to the element edges when the element is laid with a reduction of its shaped section.

15. A building element comprising a sheetlike unit having a low concave-convex shape, and having a cementitious portion comprising the convex side thereof of sufficient strength to normally hold said shape prior to application to a surface, and of such sufllcient thickness as to 5o permit stressing thereof and transmittal of the forces of said stressing to edges of the element when the element is laid with a reduction of its shaped section.

16. An edging strip for intersecting building walls or the like, comprising a shaped exible base of angular section comprising leg portions extending at angles to each other and having a hardened cement layer anchored to the outer face of the leg portions to rigidify said strip and to provide a compression section to resist any normal outward release of the shape. l

17. A pliable shingle element comprising a granular surfaced water impervious base and a hardened cement coating, said element being 05 bowed, and having the coating on the outer face, the base characterized by a tendency to assume a shape other than the bowed shape anu the hardened cement coating retaining the base in the.. bowed shape.

18. In a surface covering a plurality of assembled elements, each comprising before application a' flexible base including a surface layer of set coating material, the base having a' shape such that a portion of the under face of the 2,044,787 element through which it is to be secured in assembly is spaced from #a plane determined by a pair of edges thereof, and the set surface layer being upon the outer face of said shape and having suicient body and strength to normally maintain said shape, yet providing spring characteristics when stressed, said elements having securing means operating against said outer surfacevlayer whereby said under spaced portion of the elements substantially abut the underlying surface and said outer surface layers are stressed as to transmit pressure to said plane determining edges to form a substantial seal.

19.v A building element comprising a sheetlike base having a low substantially concaveconvex shape and-a layer of set coating material on the convex side, said base characterized by a tendency to assume a shape other than the concave-convex shape and said coating being of sufficient body and strength to normally hold said shape, said coating adapted to provide a pressure seal at the contacting edges of the ele-9 ment in assembly when stressed by means operating to reduce said concave-convex shape of the element to a substantially iiat position whereby a pressure is transmitted to said edges.

NORMAN P. SIDNEY A. OCI-IS. 

